Texas has the second highest number of women-owned business in the country, according to new US Census Data released this afternoon. But the percentage of women-owned businesses in Texas still falls slightly below the national average.

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and one of the celebrated American sailors who fought the surprise Japanese attack on the US Naval Base was from the Central Texas town of Waco.

War historians will have to pardon the pop culture training wheels, but many people may know Doris Miller best from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s portrayal of the Pearl Harbor hero in the 2001 film about the attack.

Austinites have two chances to meet the finalists for the role of Police Monitor today. At 3 p.m. and again at 6 p.m., the four contenders for the job will answer questions at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex.

The Police Monitor's office takes complaints about police from the public, and offers policy recommendations to the Chief of Police on some matters. It does not have the authority to investigate police behavior.

Austin Police Department sent us this statement from Chief Art Acevedo about the arrest of an APD SWAT officer last week on DWI charges:

The Austin Police Department is currently investigating the crash and subsequent arrest for DWI of APD SWAT officer Michael Hamilton on Friday, December 3, 2010. The Department’s zero tolerance stance on DWI is well known throughout the APD and the community we serve. Consistent with our stance, we are investigating Officer Hamilton’s actions leading up to and following the crash.

The death of a three-year-old child last week put the number of homicides in Austin this year at 36. As KUT's Mose Buchele reports, when you start looking into what that means, things start to get a little murky.

Local media are all over Louanne Aponte's court appearance today. She's the 52-year-old former director of Family Connections who fled to Venezuala after she was accused of siphoning funds from a number of local charities and spending the cash on a home in Circle C, a Mercedes, and a 20-foot boat.

The non-profit residential community Marbridge in deep south Austin helps adults with intellectual disabilities live independent lives. The facility has been around for more than 50 years, and now it's trying to raise money to build a gym and events center for its 240 residents.

School funding formulas are so complicated in Texas that the Comptroller has ordered a study to compare school district finances on a level playing field. KUT's Ben Philpott previews the report, due out later this month.

The recount is over for the Texas House District 48 race. The recount shows Incumbent Democrat Donna Howard won re-election to her seat by just 12 votes. That's a narrower win than the original vote tally, which had her ahead by 16 votes after Election Day. Howard's Republican challenger Dan Neil requested the recount. But the race may still not be over. Neil has another option to challenge the results.

Just hours before a public forum to meet candidates for Austin's new Chief Animal Services Officer, the city announced Abigail Smith was dropping out of the race. Today, the city says Smith is back in.

Smith dropped out because her father was critically ill. She notified the city of her tenuous situation during interviews in November. After her father died, the city requested that she reconsider entering the race.

A Travis County committee has started recounting the votes in the House District 48 race. The recount could be done by this afternoon. Initial voting results showed Incumbent Democrat Donna Howard won re-election by just 16 votes. Her Republican challenger Dan Neil requested the votes be counted again.

As we told you last week, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says RJ Reynolds will start selling limited edition Camel cigarette packs this winter. The packaging will feature the symbols of America's hippest locales, Williamsburg, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and of course, Austin, Texas.

That's not sitting well with many elected officials from those municipalities. Now you can add Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell to the list of disgruntled public authorities.

The former executive director of the local non-profit Family Connections, Louanne Aponte, is in Travis County police custody and headed back to Austin. Aponte is accused of misappropriating more than $327,000 from the organization between 2004 and 2009. She is also accused of stealing from other local charities.

Here's a grim statistic to chew on this World AIDS Day: Austin has the third highest percentage of people living with HIV in Texas. We used to fourth, behind Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, respectively. But as of 2009, we've displaced San Antonio for the third spot.

Here are the HIV infection rates from 2009, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

If you're excited about Sunday's lighting ceremony for the Zilker Tree, don't freak out if you're driving down MoPac tomorrow and you see the 155-foot tall structure already illuminated. It's just a test.

Austin Energy just sent us this email under the subject line, "In case you get calls…"

The Zilker Tree will be switched on tomorrow morning (Wednesday, December 1) beginning at 6 a.m. until about 8 a.m. to allow Austin Energy crews to replace any lights that may be burned out and for any other adjustments that may be needed.

KUT's Ben Philpott talks to the researchers at the LBJ Library at the University of Texas who decide whether to declassify White House documents from President Johnson's tenure. They have some interesting opinions about the mishandling of classified diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks.

After hometown football hero Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to their first Superbowl victory in franchise history, the Westlake native has now been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

The City of Buda, just south of Austin in Hays County, is growing fast. City officials are looking for input on Buda’s long range comprehensive plan. Think of it as a “blue print” for the future of the city. People can give their input at a public workshop tonight at Buda Elementary starting at six thirty.

Take a look at our reporting partners the Texas Tribune's story on what lawmakers are telling constituents about the carnage coming to state government. In a post entitled, "There Will Be Blood," Ross Ramsey writes about State Rep. Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) speaking to a Tea Party group last week.